Regathering - June 14, 2020
Dear Congregation,
Every day I wake up I start by saying, “This is the day that the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it.” It puts me in a positive frame of mind and helps me to get through the day no matter what crosses my path. God is good!
Opening for Sunday Worship
The biggest question on everyone’s mind is “When will we see our church opening?”
We have looked very carefully at regulations, CRCNA communications and information, and what other churches are doing regarding re-opening. Here is a highlight of the timing…
July continues with on-line worship only. Live stream will of course be continued even after we open for live worship.
August 2 & August 9 we will have a “soft open” for selected invitees only, namely, council, staff, ushers, worship participants and anyone else deemed necessary to be present so that we can have 2 trial runs to work all the kinks out.
August 16 there will be a limited registration of 180 people plus worship participants. (30% capacity) You can register online through our website the Monday prior to the service. You will need to register a spot for each person from your “bubble” that will be coming with you. A reminder to register eblast will be sent by the office each week. Initially seating will be open to…
August 16 will be Neighborhoods 1 & 2
August 23 will be Neighborhoods 3 & 4
August 30 will be Neighborhoods 1 & 2
There are a host of regulations and instructions which will be reviewed and updated regularly and can be found on our website following this link… https://www.mountainviewcrc.org/regather
There is also video on the website giving a verbal idea of what to expect. This video can be found following this link… https://www.mountainviewcrc.org/questions It is important that we all realize, worship will not be the same as what it was on March 1, 2020 pre COVID-19.
Please remember the important responsibility we each share as individuals to make our transition as seamless as possible not only to and for each other, but also for the entire community as they witness how we open our church during this pandemic. Let us show each other the same grace that God shows us, as each of us may also be at a different place in our own thoughts regarding COVID-19 and what is right and what is wrong.
Committee for Protection, Integration, and Inclusion
The work of this committee has been completed. The board now has a comprehensive document with protocols and steps for victims, and for alleged, charged and/or convicted offenders, as well as steps for supporting survivors of sexual abuse. Many scenarios are presented and the proper actions under each scenario clearly articulated.
Also clearly articulated, in detail, are the legal terms and responsibilities for leadership to follow.
Legal counsel has been sought and our insurance policy has been reviewed in respect to these protocols. In the future all cases involving abuse will be handled by the Church Board.
We wish to thank the people involved on the committee for their time, detail, speed, and the research that has gone into this work! A job well done!!
New Staff Position for a Ministry Associate
The board along with the Human Resources Team has developed a new one-year staff position. It is recognized that it may take extra time to find our new Lead Pastor due to the restrictions placed on travel during the COVID-19 pandemic. We are falling short in some key ministry areas. For example, youth, young adult, small group, and social media. This is a full-time position which we already have candidates for.
In the interest of transparency, we are opening this up to anyone interested in applying. If you are interested, please apply by August 4th, email Human Resources Team at hr@mountainviewcrc.org.
Audio/Visual Upgrade
Mountainview has been blessed with a donation specifically designated to upgrade our audio/visual resources. This is perfect timing as it enables us to make some major improvements which will allow us to enhance both our on-line and in-person worship experiences. We are thankful for this donation especially as it positions Mountainview to express our missional vision in a very tangible way.
So, thank you to the donor as well as to our Audio/Visual team to make these upgrades a reality!
Finance Update
Once again, we can report good tracking on the incoming funds to our budget. Our income currently sits at 88% of our budgeted ministry requirements. We are seeing some savings in our normal yearly expenses however our wages are tracking higher than budget since we have more staff than budgeted back in the Fall. Again, I challenge you all to give as you have been blessed. Together, let us make this “strange year” better by catching up to our agreement by being good stewards with what God has loaned to us so that we can continue to enhance our missional ministry!
I leave you with words from Jeremiah 29:11-13
“For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good
and not for disaster, to give you a future and hope. In those days when you pray,
I will listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me.”
I pray that you will continue to support Mountainview prayerfully, financially, and voluntarily, as together we continue to grow our vision to be a missional church to our local community.
Thank you for your encouragement, suggestions, comments, and questions.
Blessings to you all,
P.J. Vermeer
Board & Council Chair